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Gates of Vienna recently posted about why they blog, which made me think about my own blogging.

Why do I blog?

I don't blog for the money, and a good thing too, since this blog is not really profitable. However, I do blog because I enjoy it. Blogging about Islam in Europe is my hobby. If I wouldn't enjoy it, I wouldn't put so much time and effort into it.

The next big question is, why does this topic interest me?

The large Muslim community in the West poses dilemmas for liberal democracies. These problems are much more apparent in Europe, as it is made up of nation-states. I became interested in how Europe intends to solve these problems, and I was also curious how the 'clash of cultures' will affect the Jewish community. Covering one's head, holidays and Sabbaths, kosher slaughter and kosher food, among others, are all aspects of religious Jewish life that Jews in Europe have had to deal with for centuries. How will liberal democracies deal with the dilemmas posed by such a large group of immigrants, with different understandings of freedom of religion and freedom of speech? How will the 'old-timer' Jewish community be affected by the ongoing changes?

Even putting aside those issues, large-scale immigration is never easy. The Muslim immigrants to Europe face difficult choices, and their host countries face serious problems. Immigration, acceptance, integration, language - I am fascinated by these topics.

I was also interested in the Europe-Israel equation. How do European demands from Israel compare with how Muslims are treated in Europe itself? What are the differences between the two cases?

I follow up on these issues because they interest me. I hope my blog informs, but it isn't meant to convince. I have my own opinions, and I sometimes express them, but I try to mostly let the stories speak for themselves.

Unlike Gates of Vienna, I doubt my blog helps supports any specific ideology. Furthermore, my blog offers a service, translation from non-English news sites, and it is based almost completely on those news sites. I am thankful for the mass media and the internet which enables me to read newspapers from across Europe, without moving from my computer. If the mass media decides to ignore or hide a story, I usually won't get to see it either.

I admit I'm sometimes surprised to see which posts catch people's attention. I sometimes hesitate before posting stories. Not every psychopath should get worldwide attention just because he's Muslim, not every detail should be repeated or translated and not every opinion should get 'air-space'. But in most cases where I've hesitated, the story didn't really get attention and is by now buried deep inside my archive. Instead, some of my most popular posts are direct 'cut and paste' from the English language media - available to anyone who googles for them.

I also admit that I sometimes post in a way that is common or populistic. Not every riot is an intifada or civil unrest, for example, even if I use those words in the headline. I strive to translate as-is, but I post for my own fun, and my posting depends on my mood.

Thought it might not look like it sometimes, this blog is a personal effort. If I post something that might not seem related to my blog subject matter, that is my prerogative. And if I sometimes make a mistake, I hope my readers understand that I'm only human.

29 comments:

I hope your blog will help the Europeans to open their eyes, activate their mind and be more aware of the danger coming ahead from the extremist Islamic fractions. Let's every one know that although not all Muslims are extremists yet there are many aggressive groups inside. Those groups hold assets in the west which help their active terrorists to operate under their logistic and operational umbrella when needed, and then the attacks might be harmful and bloody. Your blog, with your personal look helps the readers to meet that demand. May you and other blogers will succeed in lightning the strategic threat that is being built in front of our eyes.

You do a great job Esther. I read your blog fairly regularly, and am impressed by your objectivity.Much as some people try to ignore it, there's a significant cultural clash happening due to Islam's increasing presence in Europe (and the West generally) and at some point it's going to have to be addressed.Thankyou for your time and effort, and Happy Easter to everyone.

I found your blog through my friend and colleague John Truepeers at Covenant Zone. What a joy it is to come here. I grab pieces from you often, things I don't and can't find elsewhere. Your work helps us at our blog/s and during our weekly meetings here in Vancouver as we talk about events regarding Islam in Europe and elsewhere and about Left dhimmi fascism. You know your good qualities, and so do we. So I'll leave for now with a "Thank you."

I think it is sad that some individuals choose to use your site as a basis for hate rather than understanding.

In the mid 20th century the jewish population of europe was targeted , initially not dissimilarly to that which is now the treatment towards muslims and islam.

In part europe resolved its jewish 'problem' by ethnically cleansing its 'problem' to a created state of israel on arab land.

In part there was also a willingness to exterminate every last jewish person in europe.

For islam the difficulty is that whilst the real war is about resources the problem lies in hiding this fact whilst demonising muslims and islam. the dehumanisation is crucial if the process of ill treatment is to be endured.

guantanomo has proven the willingness of europe to deny human rights to muslims. further the abuse of islam is now mainstream and cartoons are presented as freedoms in the same manner that der sturmer sought to tackle the jewish people and faith.

your blog should be instructive instead in these matters instead as the above comments indicate , some lacking the understanding, the intellect and wallowing in the prejudices and ignorance fail to recognise what europe is becoming not as a result of islam or muslims but as a result of greed, bigotry and a failure to grasp that vested interests need a red neck response to issues which are far more complex than to scapegoat islam and muslims.

what would be equally informative is to ask why some muslims are reacting in the manner they are, what is it about europe that its people are living in denial of their crimes against humanity in the muslim community?

This victimisation of muslims is the same propaganda that Hitler used after WWI. Hitler claimed germans were victims of Jewish capitalism & the Versailles Treaty.

The persecution of jews in Nazi Germany is not dissimilar to the way non-muslims have been treated in muslim countriessuch as Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Pakistan, Malaysia etc etc. The first person to persecute jews by making them wear a yellow badge was not Hitler but the Caliph of Baghdad. He also made christians wear one as well. He may as well have put a bell around their necks and made them call out "Unclean. Unclean."That is dehumanisation for you.

Daphne, your stoy about the persecution of jews and non muslims by the Chaliph of Bagdad has no support in history.

That was just another lie by a zionist i guess. You people will use all means possible including the falsefication of history only to dehumanise muslims.

Through history jews and christians prefered to live and duell among muslim nations such as Andalucia "Old muslim spain". Why was that? yes because muslims treated the non muslims as egual before God as it says in the Quran.

The world needs less hate Daphne so please think before spreading lies and hatred.

You should read the article on Wikipedia. Jews and Christians have been persecuted throughout Islamic history. Oh I forgot. Wikipedia is part of the Zionist conspiracy. Hold on a minute I think I can hear one of the zionist conspirators in my cupboard now. These zionist conspirators get everywhere.

For those with the time, I suggest reading Andrew Bostom, The Legacy of Jihad, and also The Legacy of Islamic Anti-Semitism. Also, there is Ibn Waraqq, The Myth of Islamic Tolerance. For those who care at all about the truth of the matter, one might then turn to the Qur'an for the real anti-Semitic run-down.

For those with less time, Brigitte Gabriel's Because the Hate is a good read.

Or even better, go to a Muslim nation and see for yourself how Islamic nations treat people. No fun. And for G*d's sake, don't tell anyone you're Jewish!

First off, I don't have any religious affiliation. It seems rather relevant to include your own Religious background or lack of it. No one is without bias.

Europeans can be made into Islam haters. Muslims can be made into hating non Muslims.

I think you should make it more clear you are against hate either way. If you don't take that position you will become a medium for the hate seekers.

No one is without bias, if you don't chose either of those 3 sides you end up not having any positive influence on the subject.

This victimisation of muslims is the same propaganda that Hitler used against the Jews. And this victimization of non Muslims is the same propaganda that was used against the Germans.

Hitler was put in power by US bankers and industrialists who made a handsome smack of money out of both wars. Hitler had thousands of Jewish generals and other high ranking soldiers.

Today people are already getting robbed by bankers beyond their well being.

The energy crisis, the economic crisis, the environmental crisis and the food crisis all can be fixed by using alcohol (ethanol) and bioplastics made from crops. The ideal crop for this purpose is Hemp which makes oxygen and food as a by product. By simply farming hemp in the world deserts we can remove all carbon emissions and restore the ecosystem. This would require such incredibly small area of the desert the truth here is obvious. 2% of the Sahara would be enough for the whole world. Hemp is also a source of wood and it doesn't require fertilizers.

The economy, the environment, the monetairy system, the energy problem, food problems and the coming water shortage can not be brushed off the table because of dangerous drugs propaganda. You cant even get stoned from industrial hemp. Those laws have been created when Henry Ford (a Nazi) build a car from hemp-plastic running on hemp-ethanol. In those days 90% of the fuel was made from plant materials. Alcohol prohibition and dangerous hemp propaganda was used to crush him.

Brazil doesn't have an energy crisis. Their economy is 100% operational. They don't use hemp but they do use alcohol. They use it to cut down the rain forest while we can make perfect wood from hemp.

In stead of following this obvious solution we are going to get another world war created by those same industrial entities. This is the agenda, this is what will happen. No "maybe" here. Afghanistan is full of hemp, they have plenty of biofuel. Morocco the same deal.

3 billion people are starving on this planet, hemp is a perfect food source, we can produce food for everyone. The industrial genocide is very much active and making progress every day.

If you try explain this to anyone they will say "are you stoned?"; followed by laughter and that will be the end of the 'debate'.

Meanwhile our doctors may not prescribe the fuel and our politicians write medical law. If you don't see anything wrong with that there is something wrong with you.

The whole thing has very little to do with Islam but the media will do what ever they can to keep your attention away from the actual real world events. A war would be perfect.

Funny how somebody so full of hate instructs me on how I should make it clear I don't hate anybody. I actually do hate, I hate conspiracy theorists who think I run the world and I hate anti-semites who hate me.

European Muslim issues are important beacuse there are so many Muslims in Europe(According to the German Central Institute Islam Archive, the total number of Muslims in Europe in 2007 was about 53 million, including 16 million in the European Union.) and at least they have to know more about each other.How many Muslims do know that Chechens are also Europeans?! How many Muslims in Europe know that jumuah-prayer is held twice in Prague so all of them could do it et. etc.

I myself blog because it keeps me sane....! Before I started writing on various topics - Islam included - I could be heard muttering and mumbling furiously by friends and family... Blogging is cathartic in that it's a way of expressing one's honest opinion and knowing that others are reading, and sometimes hopefully agreeing...!

"The undeniable truth is recorded in the history of what Mohammed did in his lifetimeand what, as laid out in the Koran, the God of Islam requires of his followers. The Islam that Mohammad proclaimed in the seventh century is something for all of us to take a closer look at because that versiion is more violent and has more resolve than many might think." "We must know the truth. The truth is our only path to freedom. Millions of Muslims around the world long for freedom, and they cannot be free unless more voices speak out the truth and expose the nature of a religion that has for centuries held its adherents in fear and bondage" - quotes from Reza F. Safa - now a servant of Jesus Christ and an ex Shiite Muslim.(foreward in Don Richardson's book Secrets Of The Koran)

I would love to believe, as many do in the west, that "there are many paths tho salvation and God" and that "we all pray to the same God anyway"... I wish we could all be saved, that we could all go to heaven and at the very least, we could all "just get along"... but someone else has different plans. Satan has cleverly devised many cults and religions to keep us distracted from the redeeming blood of Christ. He knows he cannot win against love, the kind of love that is paradoxically so logical that so many of us miss the point - I almost missed this point, until He gently led me to Him and His Grace, Love and Mercy - the kind of love that can give me the confidence to boldly proclaim that Islam is a lie, Mohammad was nothing more than a common theif, murderer and adulterer - the worst kind as he used "God" or Allah to justify his crimes against humanity and unfortulnatelly this evil legacy continues to this day. Nothing, however exits in this world without Our Heavenly Father allowing it, in his great wisdom he has given us all a free will - to choose to love and follow Him and the Truth, or to follow a lie. Without this free will our love and obedience to the Lord would be meaningless - as meaningless as all of the millions of converts to Islam over the centuries made at the threat of death - our loving God wouldn't do that; it's inconsistent with who and what He is, it's not logical. If you have fear, anger, murder, revenge in your heart, remember that these things do not come from God, but from the Evil One. God loves all of us Arab, Jew, German, Chinese, etc - you don't have to understand Hebrew or Greek or Aramaic or even English to read and understand the Bible - it is for eveyone - god will reveal the truth in this wondrful book tho those who truly seek the truth - unlike the Koran - a collection of half-truths, lies and deceptions that one can only apparently comprehend its "beauty" and "prose" if one reads and understands Arabic. Is this logical? Would an all-knowing, all-seeing omnipotent, omniscient Creator of all, heaven and earth be this restrictive? It is His desire that not ONE of us perish - we ALL have the chance at a full life in the here and now (Jesus said, "I have come that you may have life, and have it to the full") and that we all have a chance at eternal bliss with our Heavenly Father - not some nonsense about houris or "ever-virgins' where only men apparently experience heaven in some sort of eternal, twisted sexual gratification and women magically become virgins after every time they've been deflowered. Please, I beg you, look inside your hearts and pray for guidance and truth -

"then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" John 8:32